A work trip allowed me the opportunity to photograph this unique operation in Washington state Monday. For those not aware, this is a true logging railroad in Shelton, WA. They run a relative short distance of about 8 miles from the Simpson mill at Shelton to the log sort at Dayton, using SW1200s and an SW900 equipped with dynamic brakes.

This is, by all information I can find, the last true logging railroad left in the U.S., and there is only one other on Vancouver Island in British Columbia for a grand total of two in North America. Corrections on this are welcome if there is something I am forgetting.

Operations at the Simpson are weekdays, and morning is your best bet. They have typically run an eastbound from Dayton in the mornings, then back west in the afternoon, but it did not happen Monday. A friend I met up with there said he had gotten burned the same way last trip. So, do not count on an afternoon westbound seems to be the morale of the story. It appears the morning train is reliable, and the afternoon is "as needed."

Crews were friendly, and all you need to see and do can be done from public property. Definitely worth a visit!